Glove pressing and stretching machine



Feb. 21, 1939.

l. GERBERElALM 2,148,403

GLOVE RRESSING AND STRETCHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS [s1 dqr Gerber BY L GU15 Brownstezn Feb. 21, 1939.

l. GERBER ET AL GLOVE PRESSING AND STRETCHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22

, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvEriTois" erber Jaidgr Lows Brawnstem A o NEY Feb. 21, 1939. GERBER ET AL GLOVE PRESSING AND STRETGHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 EgTORS erber Lauzs Bro wnstem Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GLOVE PRESSING AND STRETCHING MACHINE Application October 22, 1938, Serial No. 236,456

19 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for stretching and pressing gloves, particularly gloves made of canvas, fabric or combinations of fabric and leather or imitation leather.

The present invention contemplates the provision of comparatively simple mechanism designed to operate at comparatively high speeds for dismounting or stripping the glove from the form on which it is mounted, for pressing and stretching the glove after it has been dismounted and for then advancing the glove out of the machine.

This invention further contemplates the provision of a glove-carrying form equipped with means for initiating the stripping of the glove from the form and carrying heating means for heating the form to the proper point to substantially reduce the friction between the glove and the form so that the dismounting operation may readily be completed.

The invention further contemplates the provision in a heated glove-carrying form, of means carried by the form for engaging the inner surfaces of the tips of the fingers of the glove, to remove the glove finger tips from the form at the proper time and into the bight of stripping rolls which complete the stripping of the glove from the form and press and advance the glove for further operation thereon.

The invention further contemplates the provision of simple and comparatively inexpensive but efficient means for stripping a glove from a form and for stretching and pressing the glove into its proper finished shape.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and. from the drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our improved machine.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of one of the heated forms, the front plate thereof being partly broken away to show the interior finger tip stripping members.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the same.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged View of the advancing and pressing rolls for completing the dismounting of the glove from the form, showing in dotted lines the position assumed by one of the rolls when the glove is first inserted between the rolls by the finger tip stripping members of the form.

Fig. '7 is a similar View of the same, showing the positions assumed by the rolls after the finger tip stripping members have been withdrawn from the rolls to the retracted positions thereof and showing the glove gripped by the rolls.

In the practical embodiment of the invention which we have shown by way of example, the machine, generally, consists of a number of forms 5 each provided with suitable heating means to maintain the forms hot, the forms being intermittently rotated. While the forms are at rest, the operator pulls a glove over the uppermost form so that the fingers and thumb of the glove 10 are properly shaped and stretched on the corresponding fingers and thumb of the form, the glove being maintained in its stretched position on the hot form for a sufficient time to thoroughly heat it and to set it into its proper shape. 15 While the operator is pulling a glove over the empty uppermost form, the finger tips of the heated glove on the lowermost form is stripped therefrom by the operation of stripping members carried by the form, the finger tips of the 20 glove being advanced by the stripping members into the bight of a pair of glove-advancing and pressing rolls. As the rolls rotate and the glove passes between them, the glove is completely stripped from the form at a comparatively high 5 speed and with the thumb thereof in the proper position for pressing regardless of the right hand or left hand character of the glove. The glove is also pressed by the rolls and advanced into the bight of a second pair of stretching rolls 30 which rotate at a slightly higher surface speed than that of the stripping rolls. Owing to the higher speed of the stretching rolls, the glove is stretched and again pressed, whereafter it is ejected by the stretching rolls on to a moving 35 belt and discharged from the machine in its pressed and stretched condition.

The form Ill, best seen in Figs. 4 and 5, is preferably made of two suitably shaped plates H and E2. The rear plate ll forms the convex 40 backs or rear halves of the fingers l3, l4, l5 and i6 and a surface corresponding to the back of the hand, and is suitably secured to the front plate H. The shapes of the plates II and I2 is such that a compartment as I! is provided 5 therebetween for the reception of suitable heating means andof the stripping members soon to be described. The front plate I 2 besides forming the front halves of the fingers I3, l4, l5 and I6 and a surface corresponding to the palm of 50 the hand, is also provided with a hollow thumb member He, the interior of which communicates with the compartment H. The thumbs of the alternate glove forms of the machine are so positioned that a right-hand glove may be 55 mounted on one form and left-hand gloves on the preceding and succeeding forms, with the thumbs all facing the front of the machine. Any suitable heating unit such as the electric heating unit I9, provided with one or more suitable resistance elements and of such well-known type and design as requires no further description nor illustration, is secured in the compartment I! and is supplied with current through suitable wires as 20, 2|.

In order that the stripping of the glove from the form may be initiated at the proper time, positively and with certainty, stripping members are provided preferably, though not necessarily, within the form, said stripping members being reciprocable and designed for movement into a position in which they project beyond the end or finger tips of the form. The stripping members engage the inner surfaces of the finger tips of the glove and when projected, they carry the finger tips of the glove on the form with them and thereby partly strip the glove from the form. As shown, the cross bar 22 carries elongated longitudinally arranged members such as the rods 24, 25, 26 and 21 for the fingers l3, l4, l5 and NS for the thumb 18, respectively. At the outer end of each of the rods, there is provided a suitable finger tip member as 28 adapted to pass through a suitable slot 29 at the end or tip of the finger or thumb of the form. The outer surface as 30 of each of the members 28 is preferably rounded to form a continuation of the outer surface of the finger in which it is mounted, when the finger tip member is in its retracted position. Each of the members 28 is preferably comparatively thin and wide, conforming to the shapes of the glove fingers.

In the form shown of the operating mecha nism for the finger tip members, the bar 22 carrying said members is slidably mounted within the form, being provided with an extension 3 I, at the end of which is carried the pin 32, passing through the slot 33 of the back plate I I. To main tain the stripping members in their normally retracted positions within the form, the spring 34 secured at one end to the pin 35 of the member 3| and at itsother end to the fixed pin 35 on the plate I2, is provided. It will be seen that when the pin 32 is moved in its slot upwardly as viewd in Figs. 4 and 5, the bar 22 is similarly moved thereby carrying the members 28 through the slots 29 into the dotted line-positions thereof shown in Figs. 4 and 5, whereby the finger tips of the glove which may be on the form is stripped therefrom.

A plurality of forms II] project radially from and are mounted on the hub of the form shaft 4|, whereby intermittent rotation of the shaft causes intermittent rotation of the forms. In order that current may be supplied to the heating units of the forms while they are being rotated and also while they are at rest, the wires 28, 22 of each of the forms are respectively connected to suitable commutator rings as I20, l2l carried by the hub 4|. Said commutator rings contact with fixed contacts I42, I43 connected to the wires 42 which receive electric energy from a suitable source not shown.

The shaft 4| is intermittently rotated by the geneva wheel 43 carried by said shaft, the slots 44 thereof being engaged at the proper time by the pin 45 on the geneva disc 46 which is mounted-on the shaft 41. The bevel gear 48 on the shaft 41 meshes with the bevel gear 49 on the vertical shaft 50 which carries the bevel gear 5! at its lower end. The gear 5! in turn meshes with the bevel gear 52 on the drive shaft 53. Said drive shaft is driven by the electric motor 54 or other suitable source of power through the reduction gear unit 55. It will be understood that the various shafts and other instrumentalities are carried or supported by suitable brackets and bearings attached to the frame 56 of the machine and which need not be described in detail.

For moving the pin 32 at the proper time to project the stripping members 28 from that form which is at rest in its lowermost position, suitable means are provided for engaging said pin and reciprocating it quickly through a complete stroke. Said means comprises the grooved cam 5! on the shaft 58, the groove 58 of which is circular throughout the greater part thereof but which is provided with an abrupt outwardly directed bend to give a sudden radial movement to the roller 59 supported within the groove of the cam. Said roller is carried by the member 60 secured to the reciprocating arm 6| carrying the pin 62 at its end. The pin operates in the end groove of the lever 63 on the rock shaft 64. Also carried by said rock shaft in position to receive the pin 32 when the form i0 reaches its lowermost position, is the lever provided with the groove 86 into which the pin 32 enters in the lowermost position of the form.

It being understood that the cam 51 rotates once for each intermittent movement of the shaft 4| and that the lever 65 is at rest until the pin 32 of one of the forms enters the groove 66 thereof, rotation of the cam moves the roller 59 outwardly after the pin 32 is arranged in the groove 66 and the shaft 4! is at rest, thereby moving the arm 6! toward the right as viewed in Fig. 1 to Ward the position shown in said figure, the lever 63, shaft 64 and lever 65 being rocked to move the pin 32 downwardly and thereby to project the members 28 out of their retracted positions with in the form and to partially strip the glove finger tips from the form. On the further rotation of the cam, the movement of the parts 8!, 83, 65 and 32 is reversed and the members 28 retracted.

The rolls 1D and H are arranged to receive therebetween the finger tips of the glove stripped from the form by the stripping members. Said rolls may be covered with rubber or other suitable friction material designed to adequately grip the glove and advance it. On the shaft 12 for the roll H is mounted a suitable sprocket wheel 13 engaged by the sprocket chain 14 which also engages the sprocket wheel 15 on the shaft 16 for the roll T0. The chain 14 passes about the sprocket wheel H on the shaft 53 and is operated on the rotation of said shaft to revolve the rolls l0 and H continuously in opposite directions. The shaft 16 is yieldably mounted in such a manner that the roll 10 may move bodily toward the left as viewed in Fig. 1 away from the roll II when the members 28 are forced between the rolls TI! and H. For this purpose, the bearing block 553 for the shaft 15 is slidably mounted in the groove 19, being urged toward its normal position, wherein the surfaces of the rolls H3 and H contact with each other, as by means of the spring 8!). As shown in Fig. 6, the finger tip of the glove is moved by the members 28 into the bight of the rolls H3 and ll, said rolls separating or spreading for that purpose against the action of the spring as. Immediately thereafter, the members 28 are retracted within the form leaving the glove finger tips in position between the rolls so that when the spring 80 returns the roll 10 into contact with the roll 1|, the glove finger tips are gripped therebetween. Rotation of the rolls through the sprocket chain '14 then advances the glove' and presses it in an obvious manner. To prevent possibilityof folding back or creasing of the glove thumb, a guide plate as I 54 may be arranged at the proper inclination in the path of the thumb of the glove, said plate guiding the thumb into a position against the palm as the glove is drawn off the form by the rolls, in which position the glove enters between the rolls and is properly pressed.

As the glove advances between the rolls, wrin kles and creases are removed therefrom, the glove being sufiiciently hot to permit the proper pressing thereof. As the glove leaves the rolls ill, 1!, it is engaged by the coacting revoluble stretching rolls 8!, 82. Said stretching rolls are preferably of slightly greater diameter than the rolls 70, H but being rotated at the same number of revolutions per minute, the peripheral or surface speed thereof is slightly greater than that of the rolls "Hi, ll, whereby the leading end of the glove is moved slightly faster than the trailing end thereof and the glove is, consequently, stretched to further remove any wrin- Kiss or creases therefrom and to set it into its final shape ready for shipment. The rolls 8|, 82 also serve to again press the glove. Said rolls 8!, 82 are spaced, preferably, as closely as possible to the rolls 70, H, the distance therebetween being less than the length of the glove to insure the stretching action. The stretching rolls are rotated by means of the sprocket chain 83 passing about the sprocket wheel 84 on the shaft 53 and the sprocket wheels 85, 36 on the roll shafts 81, 88 respectively. The shaft 88 is mounted in a yieldable spring bearing similar to the bearing for the shaft 16 so that the roll 8i may accommodate itself to the various thicknesses of the gloves passing between the rolls 8|, 82.

For advancing the pressed and stretched gloves out of the machine, the belt 89 is provided. Said belt passes around the rolls 82, 9B, 91 and 92 (Fig. 1), the portion 93 thereof between the rolls 90 and 92 serving as a conveyor to receive the glove discharged by the rolls 8!, 82 and to advance the glove to any suitable point. As shown, the glove falling off the belt portion 93 may fall into a suitable receptacle 9 by gravity.

It will be seen that we have provided a simple but efiicient glove pressing and stretching machine and suitable forms therefor, and in which the gloves are positively and rapidly stripped from the forms and later pressed and stretched, and that we have provided a machine well adapted to meet the requirements of practical use.

While we have shown and described certain specific embodiments of our invention, we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves thereto, but intend to claim the invention as broadly as may be permitted by the state of the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, a glove form having fingers, glove stripping members forming part of the tips of the fingers of the form and reciprocable relatively to the fingers to engage the inside of the finger tips of a glove mounted on the form and to move said glove finger tips off the form when said members are reciprocated, a pair of revoluble glove- .tips, one of said rolls being advancing and pressing rolls in the path of the glove finger tips, one of said rolls being movable bodily by said members away from the other roll to permit the insertion of said members and said glove finger tips between the rolls, and spring means for urging said rolls together with the glove finger tips therebetween on the removal of said members from between the rolls.

2. In a machine of the character described, a glove form having fingers, glove stripping members forming part of the tips of fingers of the form and reciprocable relatively to the fingers to engage the inside of the finger tips of a glove mounted on the form and to move said glove finger tips off the form when said members are reciprocated, a pair of revoluble glove-advancing and pressing rolls in the path of the glove finger movable bodily by said members away from the other roll to permit the insertion of said members and said glove finger tips between the rolls, spring means for urging said rolls together with the glove finger tips therebetween on the removal of said members from between the rolls, a second pair of revoluble rolls arranged beyond the glove-advancing and pressing rolls a distance less than the length of a glove and means for rotating said second pair of rolls at a surface speed greater than that of the glove-advancing and pressing rolls to stretch the glove during the advance thereof.

3. In a machine of the character described, a hollow glove form having'an opening at one end thereof, heating means within the form, a stripper member carried by the form and reciprocable in the opening beyond said end to remove from the form the finger tips of a glove mounted on the form, a first revoluble means arranged to receive said finger tips and to advance and press the glove, and a second revoluble means coacting with the first revoluble means and having a greater peripheral speed than that of said first means to stretch the glove,

- 4. In a machine of the character described,

plurality of glove forms, reciprocable stripping means normally maintained within each of the forms, means for intermittently rotating said forms, means for heating the forms during the rotation thereof, means for projecting the stripping means beyond one of the forms when the form is at rest in the glove-stripping position thereof to partially strip the glove from the form, and revoluble coacting rolls for engaging the 5. In a machine of the character described, a glove form, a reciprocable glove-stripping member carried by the form in the normally retracted position thereof, a pair of revoluble stripping rolls, a spring bearing for one of said rolls urging said one roll toward the other, and means for reciproby to spread the rolls about and to initiate the stripping of a glove from the form and then to retract the member from the partially stripped glove, said one roll moving bodily toward the other on the retraction of said member to com press the glove therebetween.

6. In a machine of the character described, a glove form, means for heating the form, a first pair of revoluble coacting glove pressing and advancing rolls, means for partially stripping a glove from the form and for advancing the partially stripped glove into the bight of said rolls,

and a second pair of revoluble coacting rolls having a greater peripheral speed than that of said first pair for engaging the glove during its advance by said first pair of rolls to stretch the glove.

'7. In a machine of the character described, a hollow glove form comprising a pair of plates, one of said plates providing the backs of four fingers and the back of a hand, the other plate providing the fronts of said four fingers, a hollow thumb and the palm of the hand, heating means within the form, and a spring pulled reciprocable stripping member in and arranged to be projected beyond the tips of each of the fingers and the thumb of the form.

8. In a machine of the character described, a hollow glove form comprising a pair of plates, one of said plates providing the backs of four fingers and the back of a hand, the other plate providing the fronts of said four fingers, a hollow thumb and the palm of the hand, heating means within the form, a spring pulled reciprocable stripping member in and arranged to be projected beyond the tips of each of the fingers and the thumb of the form to remove from the form the finger tips of a glove mounted thereon, revoluble rolls for engaging said finger tips of the glove and for advancing the glove, and means for projecting the members and the finger tips of the glove into the bight of said rolls.

9. In a machine of the character described, a plurality of hollow glove-carrying forms each having four fingers and a thumb, the thumbs of the forms all being on the same side, an electric heating element in each of the forms, means for intermittently rotating the forms, means for supplying electric current to the elements during the rotation of the forms and while the forms are at rest, reciprocable means carried by each of the forms for engaging the inner surface of a finger tip of the glove on the form, glove-advancing and pressing rolls, means for operating the reciprocable means While the forms are at rest to move the finger tip into the bight of said rolls, and additional rolls cooperating with the glove-advancing and pressing rolls to stretch and again press the glove.

10. In a machine of the character described, a plurality of glove forms each having fingers, means carried by each of the forms for bodily stripping the finger tips of a glove, having fingers and a thumb, from the form, means for moving the thumb toward the remainder of the glove to carry said thumb into position for pressing, and means for engaging the stripped finger tips for completing the stripping of the glove and for pressing and advancing the glove.

11. In a machine of the character described, a glove form having fingers, heating means within the form, glove stripping members having end parts normally in position to form part of the tips of the fingers of the form, and means for moving said end parts from the normal positions thereof outwardly beyond the fingers to engage the inside of the finger tips of a glove mounted on the form and to move said glove finger tips off and outwardly beyond the remainder of the form.

12. In a machine of the character described, a glove form provided with hollow fingers open at the outer ends thereof, reciprocable stripper members having end parts, terminal walls on said end parts normally extending across said open ends respectively, and means for moving said end parts simultaneously to positions beyond and in outward spaced relation to said fingers to initiate the stripping of all parts of a glove bodily from the form into a position wherein the finger tips of the glove project beyond the form.

13. In a machine of the character described, a glove form having fingers each provided with an opening therein, an elongated glove-stripping member arranged to reciprocate in each of the openings, an operating member connecting said stripping members for actuation as a unit, and heating means within the form arranged beyond the path of movement of said stripping members.

14. In a machine of the character described, a glove form, means within the form for heating the form, reciprocable means carried by the form for stripping from the form the finger tips of a glove mounted thereon, and revoluble means receiving and engaging said finger tips for advancing, pressing and stretching the gloves.

15. In a machine of the character described, a plurality of glove forms each having fingers, alternate forms being respectively right-hand and left-hand, means within the form for heating the forms, means for intermittently rotating the form, means on the form for stripping from the form the leading part of a glove mounted thereon, and rolls for engaging the stripped leading part of the glive for advancing and pressing the glove and for completing the stripping of the glove from the form.

16. In a machine of the character described, a glove form, means for heating the form, means carried by the form and movable therebeyond for stripping the finger tips of a glove from the form, p

and a pair of coacting rolls for engaging the stripped finger tips to complete the stripping and to advance and press the glove.

17. In a machine of the character described, a glove form having an opening at one end thereof, a stripper member carried by the form and movable in the opening beyond said end for initiating the stripping of the finger tip of a glove from the form, revoluble means in the path of the finger tips for completing the stripping of the glove from the form and for advancing and pressing the glove, and revoluble means cooperating with the advancing and pressing means to stretch the glove.

18. In a machine of the character described, a glove form, reciprocating means carried by the form to remove from the form the finger tips of a glove mounted on the form, means for heating the form, revoluble means initially engaging said removed finger tips and for then advancing and pressing the glove, means for stretching the glove during the advance thereof, and belt means for advancing the pressed and stretched glove for discharge from the machine.

19. In a machine of the character described, a glove form, means carried by the form and movable relatively thereto for stripping from the form the finger tips of a glove mounted thereon, a pair of coacting revoluble rolls cooperating with said stripping means to engage the finger tips and to advance and press the glove, one of said rolls being yieldable bodily relatively to the other to receive said stripping means and said finger tips therebetween, and revoluble rolls cooperating with said pair of rolls to further advance and to stretch the glove.

ISIDOR GERBER. LOUIS BROWNSTEIN. 

